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Hi friends! It’s probably more like Thirsty Thursday by the time you’re reading this, but at least I remembered to post! BTW, staying home with a baby has really gotten me to like the Today show- especially the 4th hour with Kathy Lee and Hoda.

Sound advice, I should try that some time.

Anyhoo, on to Winesday Wednesday! This week, I have TWO newbies to share with you!

First up, Brickworks Ciderhouse. From the website: Batch 1904 is a UK style dry, tart cider with a refreshing full apple finish. We only use one ingredient: 100% Ontario hand picked heritage apples: the best Niagara and Georgian Bay have to offer. Our apples travel no further than 300 kilometers, from the tree to our cider house in Toronto; a benchmark for local food and sustainability.

At first, I didn’t think I was going to like it because A) I had never heard of it before, and B) It was in a can. BUT- it was SO GOOD. Not too dry and not too sweet. This is one of those ciders that should be enjoyed ice cold. Mmmm, now my mouth is watering for one. Which means I should probably head back to the store and see if they have any left. Well worth the $4/can price tag. I like supporting the smaller companies, too!

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Second, is Angry Orchard’s Iceman. From the website: Inspired by the tradition of Ice Ciders in Quebec, Iceman uses the process of freezing the juice from culinary and bittersweet apples to produce a rich, complex and unique cider with a crisp apple taste and notes of caramel and toffee. This cider is sweet but not cloying. The addition of oak-aging yields a smooth and pleasing vanilla character. The result is a perfectly balanced, full-flavored cider that delights the palate with clean apple notes and a lingering toffee finish. 10% ABV

I enjoyed a glass of this while I took a bath on Sunday. And I am just now realizing that it was 10%ABV which explains the buzz I got from one glass! I really enjoyed this cider and it was really neat to learn the process for this particular batch, Will definitely purchase again!

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A day late and a dollar (actually more than one dollar. Lots of dollars. Anyone want to spare me some change?) short.

Friday: After our usual morning routine, I took Wes to a bunch of stores to basically just walk around and kill time. I didn’t want to chance an outdoor walk with him because it was pretty cloudy. Once Tyler got home, he made us calzones for dinner and we managed to only plow through 20 minutes of an episode of True Detective before calling it a night. SO EXCITING I KNOW.

Saturday: I don’t remember much of Saturday morning. Wes and I just hung out while Tyler ran some errands. In the afternoon, we headed over to a friend’s house for dinner. There were 6 adults and 6 kiddos. They are taking over, I tell ya! We snapped a family pic before we left.

By the time we got home and got Wes to bed, it was too late for us to consider any adult time. Bed it was! (Man, these weekends are sounding pretty boring, huh?!)

Sunday: Crap. I already forget Sunday. Laundry. Food…..Oh, and I started the 21 Day Fix EXTREME workout program. I’ll wait until I at least do the first full week before I let you all know how I feel about it.

Tyler made carne asada for dinner and I rounded out the evening with a nice soak in the tub with a cider and Netflix.

I think this coming weekend will be a bit more eventful…so maybe that recap post will be more interesting to read.

How was your weekend?

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Ok yup, this mama could use a cold one right about now. We had an appointment at the US Consulate office downtown today (to get Wes’s SSN and US passport…lucky man is the only one in the family with dual citizenship!) and as we were in our appointment, a tornado was coming and they had all the consulate employees come into the waiting room area so they could be away from the windows. Um yeah, so after going through security checkpoints and having to leave our phones and keys and stroller with diaper bag behind, we got to sit around for an extra hour. Good thing Wes slept the whole time!

And with that I say happy Winesday Wednesday!

I know I said last week that I wanted to lay off the booze and I pretty much have! EXCEPT Tyler came home Saturday with a really cool bottle of yum for me to try:

MTL Fruit Co Pink Grapefruit! I had never seen it before. Tyler poured me a glass on ice and it was SO GOOD. Tasted just like grapefruit juice. As I was taking my first sip, Tyler read aloud the bottle-> “A rosé wine based drink with a citrus twist! This pink delight mixes the soft floral experience of a rosé with the tart crispness of grapefruit. A perfect poolside partner!” When he read that, I could immediately pick out the rosé as an underlying flavor. I gotta tell ya, it was really super tasty and at $12 for the bottle, a perfect summer refreshment that’s affordable! PS: It’s also only 5% alcohol. PPS: That’s $12 CAD (which means it’s way cheaper in ‘merican dollars).

Michael sent me his latest beer selection:

It’s a triple IPA from Stone Brewing in California. When I checked out the website, it also noted that they were selling their beer in Canada! I got excited, but then saw it was only in Ontario. If you’re in Ontario and see Stone Brewing, give it a try and let me know what you think!

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I’m currently experiencing the mother of all hot flashes, so let’s see if I can bust out this post…

Friday: I desperately wanted to get out of the house but a nasty rain/wind mix gave us only one option- the mall with the parking garage. On one hand, yay because we can still get out of the house. On the other hand, boo because I am sick and tired of going to malls to walk around when the weather is crap. PLUS I had woken up feeling physically and mentally exhausted and was experiencing the beginning stages of a serious migraine. While we were at the mall though, I remembered to stop by Rocky Mountain Soap Co. and pick up my freebie.

After we got home, I was basically just trying to make it through the rest of the day without my head exploding. Migraines + caring for a baby = the worst combination. Tyler brought home sushi for dinner and more than enough candy to last me a….week?

We also practiced a bit of tummy time and Wes finally calmed down after I put my phone in front of him. He either loved the company or loved himself. Either way, it worked for a solid 15 minutes.

Saturday: After a lovely baby wearing breakfast, we headed to Costco to get a few things. Which wound up turning into a whole cart full of things. I opted out of unloading the car when we got home by taking Wes for a nice long walk. The bonus to that was that he slept through the whole Costco trip and the walk. Good baby.

Ugh, and it pains me to share this, but this was Wes’s Saturday attire:

My dad bought this because he is a Yankees fan, but nope not me. I told Wes to barf on it as much as he wanted, but of course he didn’t barf at all. The one time I gave him permission!

We had another homemade pizza for dinner and watched the premiere of Hell on Wheels before calling it a night.

Sunday: Now that I think about it, I didn’t leave the house the whole day. Fail. I am so sick of being in the house all the time! The morning was pretty chill, just hanging out with an adorable baby and attempting to do some laundry.

Also, is there an adult sized version of this pillow and a lap big enough that I can nap like this kid? It’s his favorite place to catch some shut eye and it really looks so awesome. I wanna do it.

I mowed the lawn and did a T25 workout in the afternoon (I am SO glad I am on my last week of T25! I am really sick of these workouts and need a new challenge. I’m actually craving some weights- but I don’t see a gym membership anywhere in the near future.) and was still experiencing some residual migraine aches and pains so Tyler suggested I relax in the bath. Ummmmm OKAY.

Do you know how hard it was for me to get out of the tub? Not physically hard, but I was just so damn happy to just unwind. Short lived because 30 minutes later, I was back on duty. And by back on duty, I mean I was trying to order some prints online while simultaneously entertaining Wes on his play mat. The multitasking quickly ended though because he straight up passed out on his mat.

I guess the weekend was pretty exhausting for him.

How was your weekend?

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Holy cannoli does time fly or what?!! I sure do miss having a brand spanking new baby but man oh man is it cool to see him grow and develop. We didn’t have a 3-month check-up, so I don’t have ‘official’ measurements, but I have unofficially weighed him at 18 lb and 25″.

Sleeping habits: This boy can SLEEP! He will go down anywhere from 9:30-10:30pm and sleep THROUGH until anywhere from 7:30-9:30am! During the day, he will either take a few 20-30 min naps or he will have one LONG nap in the afternoon (ranging anywhere from 3-5 hours). I will take the lack of sleep during the day because the nighttime is just glorious.

Eating habits: He eats when he first wakes up, has a snack an hour later (Funny that I say ‘snack’- I mean, he’s still only drinking breastmilk..), feeds a couple of times during the day-depending on naps- and then cluster feeds at night with a bottle to cap him off before bed. Moral of this story: the boy can EAT.

Pooping habits: LOTS.

Clothes: he still fits into some of his 3-month stuff (mostly because I think it’s all stretched out). Sleepers he’s at 9 months- kid’s got long legs, big feet and a chub chub belly. The rest of his clothes are 6 months. Or I just have him in his diaper (still size 2).

This little guy LOVES his baths. He lets me clean him for however long I want and either lays there and just tolerates it, or kicks his legs like crazy and talks to me while I do work. A few weeks back, he absolutely hated getting out of the tub and would scream bloody murder and shed tears when I was getting him dressed, but lately he seems to think of that time as just as amusing as bath time (phew).

Wes is a told weird baby when he eats- depending on what side he’s laying on, he will raise his top leg in the air while he chows down or he will press his foot into my armpit as if he’s using me for leverage. Why he needs leverage, I don’t know. But it sometimes allows me to kill two birds with one stone and clip his toenails while he eats!

He smiles and kicks and laughs and talks like an absolute fiend when I come into his room in the morning. It is still my most favorite time ever. EVER.

He does great in the car and wherever we go- usually sleeping the entire time. Lately, he will remain awake on walks, so I will lift the blanket over his carrier for him to look around (unless it’s too sunny!) Just like Layla, he gets a bit antsy when the car stops in traffic. I totally get it.

He’s started blowing bubbles, making the motorboat noise (is that what it’s called? Sounds too adult if you ask me..), and sucking on his bottom lip. He’ll also follow sounds and movement. He still can’t totally hold his head up all the time, so we have to constantly adjust how we hold him…you know, since he’s so HEAVY and all.

I’ve worked on tummy time with him and he rolled over once (on my birthday!) but I think it was a fluke since he had his arms fully out when I first put him down. At his two month check-up, the doctor said his head measured in the 97th percentile, so I don’t blame him for not being able to keep that noggin up yet.

He has the world’s best michelin legs. There are rolls FOR DAYS. His eyes might be starting to turn brown. He is growing a bit more hair on the top of his head and still hasn’t really had much dryness on his scalp. He has tons of earwax..is that normal for a baby? He has the longest eyelashes and I am always staring at them while he feeds. Or I’m staring at the dimples in his hands because he’s usually holding my shirt or my bra or my boob and it’s the cutest sight ever (only when you can’t see my boob- because that is NOT a cute site).

He has starting reaching and holding onto his toys on his playmat. He’ll also let me hold some of the rings in front of him so that he can put them in his mouth. He hardly ever uses a pacifier- I only give it to him when he fusses in public and he usually calms within a minute or two and then doesn’t want it anymore.

He’s not a huge fan of putting clothes on. But then again, neither am I.

Tyler usually puts him in his crib at night and we’ve already got him used to putting himself to sleep. Woo hoo! Just needs a few rocks in the chair, and then boom he’ll go in the crib and chat for a few minutes before he’s completely passed out. We are SO happy this came to him naturally. Good baby, Wes. Good baby.

When he’s fussy he usually just wants to stand on his feet. He will already put some weight on them and has successfully ‘stepped’ with both legs. I seriously think he’ll learn how to walk before he can crawl (big head + strong legs = how I came to that conclusion).

He took his first trip to the mountains a few weeks ago and did great! It was really hot and I had to feed him in the backseat of our car, and he never so much as whined.

I booked our flight to go home to NY in September and my mom will be coming here in advance so she can help with my first time traveling with Wes. He already has his Canadian passport and we have an appointment at the US Consulate office next week for his US passport.

He’s gotten a bit more touchy with having his diaper changed more often, but I don’t blame him. With all the up and down and sitting and laying who would want to wear a dirty diaper? (or as I call it- a Ripe Dipe) I bought a package of the honest diapers, but they don’t really work well for him- phew! Because they’re expensive.

From the website: Inspired by the festive nature of slightly sweet demi-sec champagnes and sparkling wines, The Muse is a bubbly, effervescent cider made from traditional culinary and bittersweet apples and aged on French oak. The cider is sweet upfront with a juicy apple aroma and bright acidity, and slightly drying on the finish with a lingering sweet apple note. The French oak adds a subtle wood impression, imparting notes of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and hints of vanilla. 7.7% ABV.

Hmmm ok…so maybe it’s just my novice-drinking status, but it tasted just like regular hard cider. Granted, it came in a champagne-like bottle which is uber classy, but it was just enough for a glass for me and a glass for Tyler. And it was $20. Thanks, crazy Canadian price.

Also, I think I’ll be laying off the booze for a bit- this past week pretty much wiped me out!

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This is the first Monday in a long time that I’m glad the weekend is over- only because Mon-Fri usually consists of a more routine day for me and Wes.

Friday: Tyler worked from home, but I acted like he wasn’t there so that Wes and I could still do our normal Friday thing. After a couple of feedings/play/yadda yadda, we went to the mall to walk a few laps. I also managed to restock on my Lush must have’s (ugh…wallet hurt).

Ocean Salt is my go to scrub- LOVE the smell and the consistency and how my skin feels after it’s rinsed off!)

Lovely Jubblies is intended to be a breast cream, but I put it all over my body because the whole thing could use some firming..not just the tatas! Plus, it smells like a dreaaaam. The sales associate told me they were discontinuing this soon which is a HUGE disappointment.

After we got back from the mall, I took Wes for a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood. It was HOT and I got really sweaty, mostly because I was going at a pretty brisk pace and went up every hill I could find. Wes stayed cool in the shade and slept the whole time. Lucky baby.

Tyler made a stupid good pizza for dinner and we watched Home after Wes went to bed. Ok, we watched half of Home because we got too tired.

Saturday: I went to spin in the morning. One of my favorite tracks is Rihanna’s Jump (i have searched high and low for the exact remix and can’t find it. Here’s the closest one->)

Uhhh so good.

Later, I met up with Susie at Stampede. We stuck to the Nashville North tent while we were there. PS: Apparently it’s not as fun when you’re not black-out drunk. Also not as fun when you’re older than 90% of the people there. We still managed to have a good time, a few beers, and I lost my voice from trying to shout over the music.

We walked over to Ange’s place afterwards to watch the fireworks/chat/be annoying. I didn’t get home until 2am! NOT fun to take the train at the end of the night during stampede-so many gross and drunk people!

Sunday: Tyler fed Wes in the AM so I was able to catch up on a bit of sleep (PHEW). The rest of the day was spent doing chores, playing with Wes, watching the last day of stampede, and squeezing in a workout.